A Parent's Worse Nightmare

You become a parent. As a woman, you grow this person inside you for nine months, then give birth to the child. As a man, you provide the little swimmers that determine the child's sex. As parents, you provide love, you nuture, you teach, and you do everything you possibly can to make your little one a decent person.

You watch them grow, you help them with homework - unless it's new math, and then you struggle with them. You kiss their boo - boos, help them learn to ride two wheeled bicycles, build tree houses, argue about boys/girls, limit telephone calls, worry about skirt lengths, worry about drugs/alcohol/teen sex.

As a parent, you want to wrap your child in a protective bubble until they're in their 50s. In reality, you know you have to kick the little bird outta the nest and see if they're fly. And when you turn 'em loose to fly on their own, you worry about them.

You wonder if they're eating right, getting enough sleep, making friends. Are they happy and healthy. Are they studying instead of partying.

If the child goes out of state to college, your fears and worries are increased from distance. You can't conceiveably or affordably drop in to see how your young one is fairing. You rely on letters, phone calls, emails, texts, and social networking.

You hope and you pray.

That's what the parents of IU student Lauren Spirer likely did. I've never met them, and have never been a parent. I've parented vicariously through my best friend's daughter. So I can only imagine the pain and heartbreat they are going through right now:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/06/08/2011-06-08_indiana_student_lauren_spierers_family_makes_emotional_plea_for_daughters_safe_r.html

Friends, IU teachers and coaches, newsreporters, and strangers have gone in search of the young woman. So far, she hasn't been found. Tweets, including my own, are keeping the word alive. The parents flew from NY to IN to look for their daughter. The most heartbreaking thing I saw in the entire coverage was the mother walking through the Hoosier National Forest in Brown County, calling her daughter's name.

I posted a tweet earlier today, and stand by it. Keeping the tweets about finding this young woman are appreciated. I posted the tweet based on a news story on WISH TV, which I've linked here:

http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/south_central/celebs-spread-word-of-missing-student-via-twitter

The paragraph is towards the bottom of the story. And that's what has me pissed. These assholes have decided to hop onto the bandwagon and use this event to try to scam money from people. Or if not to scam money, to take them somewhere that is no way related to the search for the missing girl.

I am not mad at the people who innocently see a RT request, and just automatically retweet with the already included link.

I'm mad at the whankers who attach their own scam/spam link under the guise of helping find Lauren. Those are the ones I wanna take the rusty bottle cap to. Please feel free to RT, but check the link first, just to make sure it's taking you to a legit link, and not a scam.

I hope to God that there wasn't foul play involved. Perhaps she's holed up someplace, injured and embarassed that she's caused all this ruckus, and scared to death to come forward due to all the fuss and furor. Believe me, little girl, your folks will welcome you with open arms.

If someone has done the unthinkable, then I hope God smites you for taking this child.

There is a legit FB page where you can post your thoughts on this, and where you can show support. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Help-Find-Lauren-Spierer/234329423249273?sk=wall

You can also check out the local Indianapolis news media sites WXIN, FOX 59, WTHR NBC 13, WRTV, ABC 6, WISH CBS 8, the Indianapolis Star, the Bloomington Times Herald, The IU Daily Student, will also keep you updated. Just enter a google search (or bing or whatever search engine you use) for those media outlets.

And do keep the word going. Continue to RT (retweet for those of you not well versed in twitterology), continue to pray, continue to help search.

Let's hope this little girl comes home.